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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 10
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OP
New Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 10 |
Great time and what started as a frustrating windy and rainey trip ended in success... Myself and my cousin both killed elk and our good friend got a shot at one but missed. I hadn't gotten to go in 3 years because powerline work across the country has kept me very busy. My first post by the way, great website looks like I found another place to spend some money at... My cousin: goofy uncle with my cousins' elk: 500yd shot: My elk (not the biggest but any elk is a trophy IMO): The elk that our friend killed last year that really got the fire back in me to take some time off and go hunting: [img] http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn151/Ikerson21/164618_1507262482109_4893694_n.jpg[/img]
Last edited by Matt21; 10/30/12.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Posts: 4,116
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Welcome to the fire! You did better than we did this year on private land in the Northside unit. Congrats!
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 48,036
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2010
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Awesome, you guys did great!!!! I finally drew a cow tag, so I'll be meat hunting this year.....Welcome to the fire and hey next time tell us what rifle/cartridge you used : We need to be informed about what does and doesn't bounce off of these big animals....
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style. You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole. BSA MAGA
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Campfire Tracker
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Welcome to a great site! You and your family did well.
ddj
Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau
The best part of hunting and fishing was the thinking about going and the talking about it after you got back. - Robert Ruark
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,115
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 45,115 |
Great job on the elk. Wish I could get that much help for my hunt next month. Wish I could get any help! Enjoy the steaks. And welcome aboard. Geno
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
member of the cabal of dysfunctional squirrels?
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Joined: Apr 2011
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2011
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Great hunt, very nice bulls. I killed my first elk in Oregon, leaving for Pendleton in the morning. Again great job, beautiful bulls.
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 10
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OP
New Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 10 |
Cousins bull was killed with a Rem700 chambered in 300WinMag using factory rounds Winchester 180gr. Ballistic Tips. I killed mine with a Weatherby MKV ultralight in 300 Weatherby Mag... handloaded with 180gr. Barnes TSX bullet... Gets the job done for sure
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 9,009
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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My elk (not the biggest but any elk is a trophy IMO)
100% spot on! Only people who have never killed an elk would disagree. Congrats all around on some fine critters!
Wade
"Let's Roll!" - Todd Beamer 9/11/01.
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 48,036
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 48,036 |
My elk (not the biggest but any elk is a trophy IMO)
100% spot on! Only people who have never killed an elk would disagree. Congrats all around on some fine critters! +1. I totally agree Wade.
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style. You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole. BSA MAGA
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,691
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,691 |
My elk (not the biggest but any elk is a trophy IMO)
100% spot on! Only people who have never killed an elk would disagree. Congrats all around on some fine critters! I'll "Roger That" !! Great job guys !!
BT53 "Where do they find young men like this?" Reporter Savidge, Iraq Elk, it's what's for dinner....
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Nice bulls! good eating at your house this year.!
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Posts: 42,777
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
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What else can we say?
Welcome and Congrats!
"Minus the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the Country" Marion Barry, Mayor of Wash DC
“Owning guns is not a right. If it were a right, it would be in the Constitution.” ~Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
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Posts: 5,173
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2007
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This is great! I really like the happiness that comes through in your words and photos. Hunting with good friends and family is a mighty fine thing. A couple of elk down makes it even better.
Guy
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 10
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OP
New Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 10 |
I'm definitely doing this ass backwards but I wasn't sure at first how folks took to people posting a long story of a hunt on here... I can't edit my first post so I'll just put the story of my entire hunt here... Give's a little more insight into the struggles I overcame to finally take an elk...
I'll start off by saying I work on the road between 240-280 days a year keeping the transmission powerlines in good repair across the country. I haven't bee able to come home for 3 years during elk season. I got the chance this year and what a great experience. I've been missing out since my uncle, cousin and good friend have been doing very while I've been away taking what I consider some very good size roosevelts.
The hunt was at first very frustrating for me as my cousin and good friend were working an area that I couldn't get to easily for day hunts and be able to come home and tend to the house at night. I was on my own but luckily found some private ground I was allowed on that was known to harbor a herd of 40+ elk with 6 bulls in it... The first day was a mess, pushing through thick second growth timber, in pouring rain and lots of wind, seeing lots of fresh sign but no elk... I was soaked and frustrated. Came back to the same property second morning and was repeating my steps until I got on top a of powerline right of way (about 2 miles of brush to reach) I started glassing some clearcuts from this open ground and then I finally spotted the heard pop out from some brush into a clear cut. 3 large antlered bulls and 3 spikes... They were unfortunately about 950 yards away and moving farther away as I watched... Nothing I could do in this big terrain and there was no way I could take a shot like that with my shooting capability. There wasn't time to move in on them so I called it a day and hoped to return the next morning.
When I got back to the truck that evening I had a message on the phone saying my cousin had killed a 6x6 at 500 yards which thrilled me but also made me want to push even harder to get one myself... A bomb was dropped when I called the land owner I had been hunting and said his family would be hunting it the rest of the week. I respected what he said and was greatful he gave me the oppurtunity there but all that hard work was for not.
That night my cousin called and said he heard that some of the larger timber land owners had finally opened areas to hunt since the fire danger was lowered. I hunted the 3rd day on my own here and was unsuccessful in finding fresh sign though I did see 6 legal bucks to take, which was a plus for when deer season kicked back on after elk season. My cousin called that night and said our good friend had taken a shot at a big bull that evening and missed. We re-grouped and planned to hunt as a group the next morning.
FINALLY I WAS GETTING CLOSE... My cousin and friend had a general idea of where the elk were, we split up ( cousin took friend and I was with my uncle) and decided each glass clear cuts so we could cover some big clear cuts nearing a 2mile radius... Light just started to hit the land on my big Swaro binos and what I at first thought were old whitened stumps began moving about 1,000 yards out. The game had begun, we ran back to the truck and hauled over where the elk were, hoping to jump out and surprise them. No avail, by that time they had worked into the timber. The timber they moved into was a pie shape and they were tightened into it near the point, we drove around to the other side of the pie on a clear cut and at first saw nothing. I was glassing land away from the timber/clear cut away from where we saw the elk, my uncle was on the phone telling cousin/friend to come over so we could push through the second growth and hopefully kill one. As it happens I turn around and look uphill only to see the heard of elk starting into the clear cut ( couldn't believe what I was seeing as they were about 100 yards away)
My uncle dropped his phone and I dropped the hammer on a bull, bull didn't even flinch ( keep in mind a rarely get to shoot anymore), I believe missed the first shot, second shot I THOUGHT I hit paydirt... I saw the elk buckle and then take off, ... We got up there and couldn't find anything at all, I thought I had missed my chance and didn't know how I could miss at such a close range. We searched for 30 mins and nothing, so we pushed through the timber, I saw 2 cows, no one else saw an elk. My uncle was insistent on continuing looking for blood so we went back up and sure enought... 1 drop, then 2 then ferns brushed with blood in the timber... followed the blood for 1/4mile in the timber then it just stopped. We decided to split up and I'd try to follow where it went. About 1 hour in and I was following skid road I caught movement down to my left and see a bull try to stand up at about 40ft. I took the elk I had hit earlier and was ecstatic.
The biggest thing I took from this is that if you shoot, never stop looking, look and look some more, especially with an animal this size... My first shot hit just below the back with my 300 weatherby and didn't hardly bleed considering damage we found under the hide from the first shot (though it was a clean pass through, not hitting any bone, 1/2 in any direction would have drilled spine or rib cage bones). The 2 elk I've killed before this didn't move 5ft from when hit so this was new for me.
Hope I didn't ramble on but this season was just such a blessing I wanted to share my experience.
Last edited by Matt21; 11/01/12.
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Congratulations on the bulls.
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Welcome and great post. Congrats!
Eric
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,851 |
Some serious weight on those westside elk. Sorry I was not available to help with the packing. Good going there.
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